The Parliament has given its nod to the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 with the Rajya Sabha passing it today. The Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill in the Monsoon session this year. The Bill empowers the Central Government to make rules regulating the design, manufacture, maintenance, sale, export, or import of any aircraft and to secure the safety of aircraft operations. The Bill is also aimed at empowering the government to make rules for the investigation of any air accident or incident.
Replying to a debate on the Bill, Minister for Civil Aviation K Rammohan Naidu said, Government is committed to take the aviation sector to another level and aims to make the country an aviation hub. He said, apart from bringing more people to the air travel network, the bill has focus on job creation and economic activity. The Minister said, one job created in aviation creates up to six to fifteen times jobs in direct and indirect sector in aviation. He said, the focus is on designing, manufacturing and maintenance of aircrafts.
On high airfares, Mr Naidu said, the Government has sensitised airlines about the spike in airfares during the holiday or festive season. He said, the largest part of the airfare goes towards fuel prices and taxes on fuel are decided by the State governments. The Minister asks MPs to request their State governments to reduce taxes on fuels to reduce airfares.
Participating in the discussion, Shambhu Sharan Patel of BJP said, a lot of development has taken place in the aviation sector. He said, the number of airports in the country in 2014 was 74, which has increased to 157 in 2024. Mr Sharan said the number of domestic air passengers has doubled in the last ten years.
Sulata Deo of BJD demanded action against the dynamic costs of air travel.
Kanimozhi NVN Somu of DMK said, India is still depending heavily on the U.S. and France regarding the aviation sector. She said, high food and water prices inside airports should be checked.
Sagarika Ghose of Trinamool Congress demanded that the tendering process for airports and bidding must be transparent.
A.A. Rahim of CPI (M) said that the Union government has no control over the Indian aviation sector. Raising the issue of high airfare, he said that private companies are dictating airfare.
JD(S) MP and former Prime Minister H D Devegowda, Ghanshyam Tiwari of BJP, Ramji Lal Suman of Samajwadi Party, S Niranjan Reddy of YSRCP, Haris Beeran of IUML and Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT) participated in the discussion.
